original title:
Qatar World Cup丨Yue Dongxing’s point of view: The Netherlands is tepid or will make great efforts in the future
Xinhua News Agency, Doha, November 30th
Reporter Yue Dongxing
After three group matches, although the Dutch team advanced to the top 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, they did not play an impressive offensive football. It seems that they cannot be compared with other strong teams such as Brazil and France who have shown their “champions”. It was once labeled as “dull”.
When will the Dutch team, which has won the World Cup runner-up three times and is known as the “uncrowned king”, as a representative of beautiful football, break out?
The reporter believes that as the schedule enters a knockout stage, the “Orange Army” may not be able to play brilliantly in terms of technical and tactical styles due to their two advantages, but it is expected to work hard in the future and achieve a good result. score.
On the evening of the 29th at the Gulf Stadium, the “Oranje” continued the 352 formation of “three central defenders + two wingbacks” played by the tactician Van Gaal in the 2-0 send-off of Qatar. The top central defender Van Dijk leads the defense, Blind and Dumfries take care of both offense and defense, De Roon and De Jong partner in midfield, Klaassen “threads the needle” in the midfielder position, and Depay and Gakpo form a double forward.
Considering that there is another world-class central defender De Ligt on the bench, the defense led by captain Van Dijk can be regarded as one of the strongest in this cup, which is one of the advantages of the Dutch team. In the knockout round, a solid defense is often the key to a strong team having the last laugh in the “strong dialogue”.
On the front line, the teenager Jacques, who has scored goals in three consecutive games, is in good condition. As a winger, he has adapted to the central position. His excellent inside cutting, speed and breakthrough ability are the key to the Dutch team’s attack. In addition, Weghorst, who came off the bench on the evening of the 29th, is a big center with a height of 1.97 meters. His ability to protect the ball, header and grab points also provided the Dutch team with another solution to break the deadlock.
Second, the famous coach Van Gaal is good at developing tactics, and his targeted arrangement is the key to the Dutch team’s hope to gradually exert their strength.
In this cup, many teams chose the 352 play style of “three center backs + two wing backs”, which is derived from Van Gaal’s masterpiece 8 years ago. In the 2014 World Cup, in order to make up for the shortcomings of the Dutch team’s defense and restrain the magnificent pass control of the defending champion Spain, Van Gaal, who led the team to the game, at that time rarely arranged a new formation of three central defenders and two full-backs. 5:1 swept the “Matador”, ended the “golden age” of the Spaniards, and created another classic of “The Flying Dutchman”.
In addition to the two advantages, the shortcomings of the Dutch team are also more obvious. The defense is stronger than the offense, and the midfielder lacks creativity and impact.
Since the world’s top central defender Stam bid farewell to the national team in 2004, although Dutch football has a large number of offensive and organizational players with distinctive characteristics and super personal abilities, such as Robben, Van Persie, and Sneijder, they have not been able to wait for one. The leaders of the defense, let them show their talents in the frontcourt with confidence.
But who would have imagined that when they bid farewell to the green field with endless regrets, the strong youth training system of the Dutch team trained three top defenders at once-Van Dijk, De Ligt and Ake. In the midfield position, there have been no players who can match the “Robbens”. This may also be a pity for the “Van Dijks”.
Next, the Dutch team will first meet the weaker US team in the round of 16. If they can make it through, they may avoid the defending champion France, which is expected to lock in the first place in Group D, in the quarterfinals. Opponents gradually become stronger, which can often stimulate their own improvement. What kind of performance Van Gaal’s team will have is exciting.